Neighbour fingers brothers in triple murder trial

A neighbour testified against two brothers who allegedly doused three young men with petrol and set them alight in KwaMashu.

|||

Durban - Two brothers have pleaded not guilty to triple murder charges and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The two appeared at the Durban High Court on Tuesday allegedly dousing three young men with petrol and setting them alight, after robbing the victims of a pair of shoes and a cellphone.

However, a State witness on Tuesday testified that the pair confessed to him about their involvement.

Senior State advocate Kelvin Singh had called Thobekani Fredrick Ngcobo to the witness stand. He lived at the KwaMashu Men’s Hostel and was a neighbour and friend of the two accused, 22-year-old Anele Zwangaye Nzama and Phindakuphi Sphamandla Nzama, 26.

“Phindakuphi confessed to me first,” Ngcobo testified.

“I visited him in their room when he told me of the incident where he was walking with Anele and two others to the KwaMashu Shopping Centre with the intention to commit robbery,” he said.

They were apparently thirsty for liquor, but did not have any money.

According to the summary of facts in the indictment, the three young men were with their friend at his home in C-section KwaMashu.

The friend’s car had no petrol and the three volunteered to walk to the nearby petrol station to buy some.

“After filling up their 5-litre petrol container, and on their way back, the two accused and other companions (the assailants) who had earlier on decided and conspired to rob persons on the footpath, accosted them. The accused were armed with firearms.

“After robbing the deceased of a pair of shoes and a cellphone, the accused doused all three deceased with the petrol they were carrying and set them alight,” the indictment read.

The three died in hospital from “associated burn wounds and inhalation injuries”.

On Tuesday, Ngcobo said his friend Phindakuphi told him they poured petrol on the youngsters, “but he was just making fun of them”.

“He asked Anele if he had matches. Anele produced the matches and set the boys alight. They all ran away afterwards,” Ngcobo testified.

Ngcobo told Judge Philip Nkosi the confession came three months after Anele had asked him to sell a Nokia cellphone for him.

He had sold it to a woman in the area for R250.

Ngcobo said, in his statement, that Phindakuphi pleaded with him not to tell anyone and that he was informing Ngcobo because he felt terrible about what happened.

He testified that Anele had also confessed to him of his role in the incident.

“Did their confession say why they poured petrol over the deceased if their intention was just to rob them?” asked the judge.

Ngcobo replied saying they did that when they did not get what they wanted from the deceased. He said the men demanded money from the youngsters, who apparently told them they did not have any, and just had petrol.

The two other suspects are said to be still at large.

The trial continues.

noelene.barbeau@inl.co.za

@noeleneb

Daily News